Have you considered the beauty of an eco-garden? Gardens are a fantastic way to keep our planet thriving and eliminate greenhouse gasses and urban heat waves. Whether you are planning a garden in your backyard or on a rooftop, you cannot go wrong.
Simple ways you can create an eco-friendly garden in your own backyard
However, it is essential to use eco-friendly methods that will ensure your garden is entirely beneficial to yourself and the environment.
Keep it Organic
One of the primary goals of eco-friendly gardening is to avoid chemical pesticides and fertilizers. The way you can do this is by planting non-GMO seeds, plants and by using organic compost. Some potting soil also contains chemical, so check the label before purchasing.
Individual plants can help you reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides in the garden. By growing specific foods together, you will encourage their growth as they help each other develop. Other plants can keep pest away while some will attract wildlife that is great for pollination and pest control.
Start a Food Garden
Consider dedicating a section of your yard to a food garden which is very eco-friendly. In this way, you are decreasing the harmful greenhouse emission that comes with large-scale farming and the transportation of these foods. Besides helping the environment, you will also benefit from growing your own food. Food gardens can help you save money by providing you with fresh organic fruits and vegetable.
Encourage Pollinators
If you are serious about eco-friendly gardening, then you would want to be attracting pollinators. Along with your pesticide-free food sources, you can also create a safe shelter and clean water access. Pollinators will help your garden to thrive, and you can enjoy the wonders of nature in your garden.
By adding some flowering plant to your garden, you will have pollinators in your garden in no time. Keep in mind that different plants will attract different pollinators, therefore have a variety of plants in your garden, including native plants. A smart way to go about the process is to have a section of wildflowers that will be the main attraction for the pollinators, and you will also save time on mowing that area.
Attract More Wildlife
If you want to attract more distractions like these and other beneficial birds and bugs in your garden, then an eco-friendly garden is the way to go.
Some birds will eat the insects in your yard that will help to keep the pest population in control. You can encourage these bird early in the season before the invasion of insect gets out of control by providing birds suet to eat. Keep fresh water easily accessible. In return, birds will eat the slugs, grubs, caterpillars and the snails giving you gardening problems. An added bonus: no more mosquitoes.
Furthermore, butterflies, ladybugs and worms fill a healthy organic gardens. Ladybugs eat aphids. Worms break down decaying plant matter, as well as aerate the soil for you.
Add Rain Water Barrels
By making use of rainwater in your garden you will not only be saving on the water bills, but you are avoiding chlorine from impairing your plants. All you need is a rainwater barrel to catch the rainwater. This can be a simple setup, or you can add some mechanical sprinklers or a hose to the barrel which will make watering your garden easy.
Implement a Compost Section
Instead of wasting money on buying compost for your garden, you can make it yourself. In your garden, you can install a compost pit or a compost bin. Every time you have food scraps, you add them to your compost setup. By doing so, you are also avoiding food ending up in the landfill which releases harmful methane gasses. Therefore, it is essential to understand how composting works so that you too can prevent methane gasses forming while composting.
An eco-friendly compost pile usually includes a mixture of food scraps, debris, waste paper and some amount of air. If composing seem like to much work or messy for your, then there are composting technology on the market that makes this process a piece of cake. Using The Zera food recycler in your kitchen, helps turn a week’s worth of food scraps into homemade fertilizers in only 24.
Make Use of Solar Lights
If you enjoy spending evenings in your garden, then some form of light is a must. In order to avoid turning on lights in your yard connected to electricity, make use of the sun’s energy at night.
Depending on the amount of light you need, you can either invest in solar panels to provide you with energy in your garden or purchase solar lamps that will recharge during the day and use that energy to light your garden at night. Another alternative is to make use of lanterns. If you do not need bright light, then there are many lantern options which will add a romantic feel to your garden at night and you can even make them yourself.
Eco-friendly Additions
Being able to spend time in your beautiful eco-friendly garden is part of the fun. Ensure that it stays eco-friendly by not incorporating toxic materials and furniture to your garden. Opt for untreated natural local building materials when you are building fences, decks and raised beds. You are sure to find renewable building materials in your area if you do some research.
Pressure treated wood is full of chemicals. Therefore, it is best to choose a non-toxic VOC-free eco treatment for timber if necessary. However, promoting beneficial fungi and insects in your garden is an excellent way to help the soil food web.
Adopt Other Cultural Traditions
Luckily, the Japanese practice of accepting natural cycle is becoming more of a trend. In other words, there is nothing wrong with letting nature take its course while you sit back and relax. Do not stress about, imperfections in your garden like overgrown perennials, and stones covered in moss. Leave those pots with the weathered look, as chemicals from paints can be harmful to your garden.
As you can see, one eco-friendly gardening method promote the other, therefore before starting plan what will work well together. By planting a variety of local plants, making use of rainwater and avoiding chemicals you are already giving life to an eco-friendly garden. So, bottom line, keep it natural!
About the Writer: Mattea Jacobs is a freelance writer who writes about both interior and exterior home design, as well as environmentally-friendly ways to improve homes. A green activist mother of two beautiful sons.
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